Handling and shipment of tubular products



July 20, 1965 F. M DONNELL ETAL 3,195,723

HANDLING AND SHIPMENT OF TUBULAR PRODUCTS Filed Feb. 28. 1964 United States Patent 3,195,723 HANDLING AND SHHMENT 0F TUBULAR PRODUCTS Frank MacDonnell, West Nyack, and Harold Frederieks, Pearl River, N.Y., assignors to The Flintkote Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Feb. 28, 1964, Ser. No. 348,230 4 Claims. (Cl. 206-65) This invention represents a new overall approach to the unitized shipment, storage and handling of long sections of pipe and conduit together with appropriate quantities of matching couplings or other fittings.

The products to which this invention pertains are tubular, and although variably referred to as pipe, tube, conduit, etc, they will be referred to simply as pipe for purposes of this application. Although as initially developed this invention applied to bituminous saturated fiber composition type. pipe, this invention is generally applicable to other types of tubular products such as metal, plastic, cement, asbestos-cement, wound filament and laminated pipe. This pipe typically is manufactured in standard sizes ranging from two to six inches in diameter and five to eight feet in length.

Pipe of the type generally described in the above paragraph almost always is connected by some form of coupling which is supplied separately and fitted to the pipe at the time it is installed or laid. Each shipment of pipe, either by truck or railroad, must include couplings in the proper number, type and size, and these commonly are packed separately in bags or boxes, or tied together by strands of rope. It is common for a given shipment to be divided among several destinations or carrier stops, at each of which only a portion of the pipe and accompanying supply of couplings will be unloaded.

The handling of pipe has been greatly simplified in the trend toward a unitized system adapted particularly for use of conventional forklift handling equipment and facility of stacking. Quantities of pipe ranging typically from 77 to 240 pieces (depending mainly on pipe size) are strapped together as units which can be easily handled by forklift trucks in the course of storage and loading and unloading in shipment.

Although the unitized packaging concept and use of if forklift equipment simplified the handling of pipe, numerous problems associated with the separate handling of couplings nevertheless remained. First, couplings which are packaged and handled separately have a marked tendency to become lost, damaged and misrouted. When portions of a single shipment are unloaded at difierent destinations, there is the problem of insuring that proper numbers and sizes of couplings also are unloaded. In the storage and handling of pipe at various points of distribution of both the producers and customers there is the problem of insuring that diilerent sizes of couplings do not become mixed and erroneously mismatched with shipments of pipe of the wrong size. Finally, the separate handling, storage and shipment of couplings contribute to higher overall unit costs of pipe production and distribution.

Accordingly, it is the main object of this invention to eliminate all of the problems discussed above. In accordance with this invention, a quantity of pipe and a matched quantity of proper couplings are combined in a single packaged unit which can be easily handled, and in which the pipe and couplings are effectively inseparable in their journey from point of origin to point of installation. More specifically, the couplings (or other fittings) are enclosed in bags which are cradled between spaced pipe sections at the top of a packaged unit, and

SJQSJZB Patented July 20, 1965 are further held in place by means of the framework which serves principally to bind the quantity of pipe together. These bags preferably are formed of a tough transparent plastic to alford both good durability and protection and also to make their contents visible Without the need to break open the package. Thus, this unitized concept completely eliminates any of the problem previously mentioned.

Further objects, advantages and details of this invention will become apparent from the following description when read with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a uni-tized load of pipe and couplings in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates an alternative form of packaging of the couplings; and

FIG. 3 is an end view of a load of pipe as assembled prior to this invention.

In FIG. 1, the illustrated assembly may be regarded as a single load or unit of shipment. A desired number of pipes (conduits) 2 is assembled, as illustrated, within a pair of square or rectangular frames which preferably are simply and cheaply made up of two by four inch Wood board. Each framework comprises side pieces 4, a bottom piece 5, and an upper cross piece 6. Metal straps 8 are applied and tensioned in conventional fashion to bind the entire assembly tightly.

Inherent in the stacking of pipe is the fact that alternate layers on horizontal rows are laterally staggered by a distance equal to half an outside pipe diameter. Thus, the pipe sections in each successive row rest in the V-like crevices between adjacent pipe sections in the lower layer or row.

Referring to FIG. 3, it will be seen that in the prior art the uppermost row was completely filled from one side to the other, whereas in FIG. 1 the uppermost row consists of only two pipe sections which are identified 2'. The central feature is that because of the absence of pipe between the outer sections 2, there is defined between them a substantial gap or space which, in accordance with this invention, can be occupied by one or more couplings packs 10. Two, three or four of such packs ll) can be used, and each contains a convenient number of couplings 14. The pack is essentially a bag formed from a tough, transparent plastic such as polyethylene. This bag may be sealed by various means such as tying, stapling, taping or, as in the illustrated case, by heat sealing at the ends as indicated at 12. The supply of conplings is divided among the multiple packs 10, the total number of couplings contained thereby being equal to or greater than the number of pipe sections assembled in the unit. An advantage of dividing the couplings among several packs is that the single shipping unit can be opened and divided into quantities of pipe after arrival at a main destination, and distributed to further different locations along with the unopened packs of couplings. Another advantage is that packs It) can be opened one at a time as needed during laying of the pipe.

An alternate means of packaging couplings 14 is pictured in FIG. 2. In this case, the couplings are aligned axially within an elongate cylindrical pack 10 which also preferably is formed of a durable transparent plastic. This pack 10' can be closed as by means of a tie string 16 at each end. The pack may be rigid, for easier handling, by provision of a mandrel 18 extending centrally through the group of hollow couplings. This mandrel may comprise simply a long Wood pole or a conventional paper tube.

Thus, whether a coupling pack of the rectangular type 10 or elongated type 10 is used, it will be seen that the coupling pack becomes a part of the entire assembly or V straps 8 by conventional tools.

thickness of bottom pieces 5. It is held'tightly togetherby the great tension force that can be applied to the metal The plastic packs 10 or 1%, protect the coupling from damage, loss etc., While also permitting visual inspection of the couplings. In short it will be evident that all of the previously mentioned problems in the prior art have been eliminated by this invention with consequent advantages also mentioned herein.

It will be understood that various departures from the specifically disclosed embodiments of the invention can be eifected without departing from the scope thereof as defined by the following claims. What is claimed is:

1. A unitary assembly of tubular pipe together with matching couplings which comprises horizontal rows of pipe sections stacked closely together in parallel relation, the uppermost r-ow having a pair of parallel pipe sections spaced apart by a distance greater than the diameter of a single pipesection creating a gap therebetween, a plurality of couplings enclosed in a container of a durable sheet material, said container being posi- 4 tioned within'said gap and means securely binding said pipe sections and couplings together as a unit, said means comprising a right-angular, four-sided frame work constructed around the pipe sections.

2. An assembly according to claim 1, wherein said container is a tough, transparent, plastic bag completely enclosing said couplings; 1

3. An assembly according to claim 2, wherein said plastic bag encloses a plurality of rows of said couplings arranged in side-by-side relation.

I 4. An assembly according to claim 2, wherein said plastic bag encloses a single row of couplings arranged in end-to-end relation.

References Cited by the Exarniner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,059,390 11/36 Pagel.

2,703,645 3/55 Scrimshaw.

2,830,699 4/58 Gill 206- 2,860,772 11/58 Northington 2O6-65 3,081,871 3/63 Fisher 20665 3,129,812 4/64 Deasy 206-47 THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner. GEORGE o. RALSTON, Examiner. 

1. A UNITARY ASSEMBLY OF TUBULAR PIPE TOGETHER WITH MATCHING COUPLINGS WHICH COMPRISES HORIZONTAL ROWS OF PIPE SECTIONS STACKED CLOSELY TOGETHER IN PARELLEL RELATION, THE UPPERMOST ROW HAVING A PAIR OF PARALLEL PIPE SECTIONS SPACED APART BY A DISTANCE GREATER THAN THE DIAMETER OF A SINGLE PIPE SECTION CREATING A GAP THEREBETWEEN, A PLURALITY OF COUPLINGS ENCLOSED IN A CONTAINER OF A DURABLE SHEET MATERIAL, SAID CONTAINER BEING POSITIONED WITHIN SAID GAP AND MEANS SECURELY BINDING SAID PIPE SECTIONS AND COUPLINGS TOGETHER AS A UNIT, SAID MEANS COMPRISING A RIGHT-ANGULAR, FOUR-SIDE FRAME WORK CONSTRUCTED AROUND THE PIPE SECTIONS. 